I was very fortunate to interview two succesful female conductors, which is a very male dominated profession, so that was very encouraging. They were both extremely interested in helping me in whatever way they could, and I could have easily talked to them for hours more! But I'm very grateful for the hour they both took out of their incredibly busy schedules to talk to me.
Something that one said that I just loved was that conducting is, for her, all about solving problems—putting the puzzle pieces together to get to the big picture. Its about the love of a challenge and the love for bettering other's lives with music, both your musicians and the audience. I just connected with that so much, and it reminds me how excited I am to teach music.
Overall impressions I got from these interviews were how important it is to be exposed to, and expose others in the community to as many different experiences as possible. It helps young people grow as individuals and figure out what they want to do with their lives, and generally enriches the lives of others. And the more my life is enriched and the more knowledgable I am, the more I'm able to bring these experiences to my classroom and my community.
Other miscellaneous things picked up from these and other various interviews: Do what makes you happy. Only take a job if it has 2 of these 3 criteria met: it looks good on your resumé, it pays, and you love it. Don't take a job if it makes you miserable, not even for the job experience. Take care of and support your fellow performers/co-workers, you never know when you'll need support yourself. Say yes to as much as possible—it keeps the opportunities coming and helps you grow creatively. Surround yourself with positive people. And finally, be patient, you'll get there!
-Jennifer
No comments:
Post a Comment